Eco Tote Bag

Brief Analysis of the Product

• A tote bag is commonly made of cotton or canvas fabrics and is used to carry a great number of items, similarly to plastic bags. Recent trends prompted tote bags to be produced in an eco friendly manner in order to obtain a sustainable product. (Details in below section)
• Purchasing a tote bag brought me a step closer to a sustainable lifestyle as it urged me to limit my plastic waste, especially when it comes to single-use plastic bags.
• For example: Instead of going back home with a ton of plastic bags carrying my groceries, I go back with only one sustainable bag that’s executing the same task.

Key Features that Promote Sustainability

• Reusable and Durable: The same tote bag can be used for a long period of time and on multiple occasions from grocery shopping to carrying heavy books back to your dorm. This is on the contrary to single-use plastic bags that must be used in great quantities for either of the simple tasks mentioned earlier.
• Sustainable Material: The tote bag I own is made of 100% organic cotton which makes it a green and environmentally friendly option, as it ensures minimal harm to farmland, ecosystems, and humans. This is a result of growing the cotton without using any harmful pesticides and chemicals that may consequently pollute and distort ecosystems, which maintains soil fertility and protects biologically diverse agricultures.
• Biodegradable and Recyclable: The organic cotton used in the tote bag contributes to making the product biodegradable, as it can decomposes in a few weeks when composted, unlike single-use plastic bags that take tens of hundreds of years to decompose. The fabric can also be recycled to produce new cotton products.
• Can be Repurposed: In case of the bag’s ripping, it can still be used in a number of sustainable ways such as using it for storage around the house instead of the use of boxes, utilizing the cotton fabric to make pillowcases, or simply donating it to NGOs that create garments out of old fabric.

Features that Reduce Sustainability

• Growing organic cotton requires more water recourses than conventional cotton: Conventional cotton produces a high yield with limited amount of water, however, to produce the same amount with organic cotton, the quantity of water used is significantly greater.
• Production of tote bags has a higher carbon footprint than plastic bag production: The manufacturing and transport of the tote bag releases significant amounts of CO2 as a result of the fossil fuels used to (1) power the pumps that water the cotton and to (2) transport the cotton from the farmland, to the manufacturer, to the seller, and finally to the consumer.
• Designer Tote Bags: Some brands are taking advantage of the tote bag trend and are selling them as designer products at excessively expensive prices, which defeats the main purpose of tote bags.